If HDMI has mostly replaced TOSLINK, then why should you even care? While it’s absolutely true that the TOSLINK cable has been, for video systems at least, made more or less obsolete by HDMI, that doesn’t mean the TOSLINK cable should be relegated to Museum of Obsolete Ports and Standards. TOSLINK does not.) The Many Uses of Optical Audio (Even Today) (HDMI is not only simpler, since it carries video and audio together, but it also supports newer high resolution audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. So why is the lonely optical cable so underutilized? While that question could be a historical inquiry unto itself, here’s the short version: when TOSLINK came out, it was overpowered for most people’s needs, and by the time the average consumer was rocking an intense home theater, the TOSLINK cable had been eclipsed by the HDMI cable. (See the photo at the top of this article.)Īlthough the standard is over thirty years old now, it has been refined quite a bit, and modern TOSLINK connections are as useful as ever. Even more distinctive than shape is the fact that when the device is powered on, you can see a faint glow of red laser light around the port door. The TOSLINK port is distinct among all other ports and looks strikingly like a tiny little doggie door into the bowels of your device. The port is typically labeled “optical audio”, “TOSLINK”, “Digital Audio Out (Optical)” or something similar, but you certainly don’t need a label to identify it. You can check if your devices support TOSLINK audio cabling by looking on the back of the device for the distinct TOSLINK port. The standard was introduced way back in 1983 by Toshiba, and was originally intended for use with their fledgling Compact Disc players. (This is why you’ll sometimes hear them referred to as Toshiba-Link, or TOSLINK cables.)
Unlike other cabling standards, the optical audio system uses fiber optic cables and laser light to transmit digital audio signals between devices. The one standout in home audio/video market is the optical audio cable. Every cable, from the speaker wire on your 1970s turntable to the HDMI cable on your new HDTV, contains wires, wires, and more wires inside. Be it analog or digital, the signal is sent as an electrical impulse over conductive wire.
The vast majority of cabling you use for your media centers, personal computers, and audio/visual equipment uses electrical signals. Let’s look at what it is and how you can take advantage of it. That little oft-neglected port can be a real life saver, though. Ever wonder what that trapezoidal “optical” audio port is? You’ll find these on the back of computers, HDTVs, media receivers, and more, but hardly anyone uses them.
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